Spider-Man Reboot: Villains Wanted

With Rhys Ifans recently cast in Marc Webb's Spider-Man reboot as the movie's mysterious villain, us Spidey fans can't stop asking these two questions: 1. The guy from Notting Hill? Spidey's baddie? Really? 2. Which villain is he playing?

Sony is playing coy with revealing the answer to that last question, but that doesn't stop us from trying to figure out who the villain should be.

With the help of IGN Comics, IGN Movies takes a look at Spidey's rogue's gallery and pick five likely candidates to join Andrew Garfield's Webhead on the big screen Summer 2012. Read our picks for potential villains, and then sound off with your own choices by posting in the comments section below.

If you thought Peter Parker had it rough in Spider-Man 3 when he faced down the menace of Venom, just imagine how bad things will get when and if Carnage enters the scene.

Carnage is a lot like Venom, only more evil, more powerful, and more capable of making Spidey's life miserable.

In the comics, Carnage started out as Cletus Kassidy, a deranged psychopath who spent as much time in mental institutions as he did running out murdering innocents. As luck would have it, Kassidy once shared a cell with Eddie Brock. A piece of the Venom symbiote transferred to Kassidy, granting the crazy killer an entirely new canvas on which to paint his masterpieces of mayhem.

The symbiote grows more powerful with each subsequent host, meaning Carnage outclasses both Spidey and Venom by a fair margin. His strength is fearsome. His fluid body writhes with tendrils. His favorite method of killing is to mold his limbs into wickedly sharp blades, not unlike Terminator 2's T-1000.

More often than not, an appearance by Carnage forces Spidey and Venom to team up to save the day. Since we're not exactly willing to believe Brock bit the dust in the last movie, there's no reason these two enemies couldn't form a reluctant alliance on screen.

Carnage remains quite popular with the fans, and Marvel Comics recently gave the character more spotlight in the books. Sony's love for Venom, though, on top of recent talks about rebooting him as well in the new movie, suggest that Venom will appear on the big screen before Carnage does - even if it's Venom's second tour at multiplex. We daresay Carnage is one of the few remaining rogues who could feasibly support a Spider-Man movie on his own. So if he doesn't get a close-up in this new movie, then it's only a matter of time before Carnage gets his face on a poster.

Electro is one of Spidey's oldest villains, and nothing the webbed wallcrawler can do will stop the electrical crook from coming back and terrorizing the citizens of New York.

Electro was born as Max Dillon, a troubled child wracked by a crippling inferiority complex. When a freak accident granted Dillon the ability to channel electricity, he chose to devote his powers to evil. Electro is rarely concerned with anything more than making a name for himself and earning the big bucks. Unfortunately, Spidey invariably swoops in to put a damper on his plans.

Electro remains such a great threat for Spidey because his powers force the hero to fight smart and rely on his genius, something that is too often neglected. Electro's powers make him a difficult foe to touch, let alone deliver a well-placed punch to the face. In one memorable instance, Spidey was forced to design an insulated suit to protect himself from Electro's wrath.

The other nice thing about Electro is his continuing membership in the Sinister Six. We're hoping that the new Spider-Man franchise will build up to an appearance by this villainous sextet. As long as the movie ditches the silly lightning bolt mask for something a little more practical (perhaps the version seen in Ultimate Spider-Man is the way to go), we're ready to be electrified.